Anthony Edwards scores 55 points, Victor Wembanyama counters with 39 in Spurs' 126-123 win over Timberwolves
- - Anthony Edwards scores 55 points, Victor Wembanyama counters with 39 in Spurs' 126-123 win over Timberwolves
Ian Casselberry January 18, 2026 at 5:57 AM
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Anthony Edwards returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves' lineup after missing the team's past two games with a right foot injury. He scored a career-high 55 points in a superstar showdown with Victor Wembanyama. But the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 126-123 win at Frost Bank Center on Saturday night.
Wembanyama also had a spectacular game for the home team, scoring 39 points with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. His 20-foot jumper with 53.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave San Antonio the lead for good. The 7-foot-4 sensation also hit a free throw with 1.3 seconds left for the final 3-point margin.
The Spurs took a 69-44 lead into halftime after outscoring the T-Wolves, 48-22, in the second quarter. That surge included 20 points from Wembanyama, who knocked down three 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the frame.
3 straight triples for Wemby 👌He's got a game-high 23 for the @spurs! pic.twitter.com/BH589lHS1a
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2026
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Trailing 96-84 going into the fourth quarter. Minnesota went on a 20-9 run to take the lead at 113-110 with Edwards scoring 13 consecutive points. But Wembanyama tied the score with a 3-pointer and hit two free throws to take the lead back for San Antonio.
Two straight 3s from Donte DiVincenzo put the T-wolves back on top 119-118 with 1:03 left in regulation. But Wembanyama's 20-footer put the Spurs back on top for good. He followed that up by blocking Joan Beringer's reverse layup attempt to preserve the lead.
ANT BUCKET.WEMBY BUCKET.ANT BUCKET.WEMBY BUCKET.ANT HAS 51. WEMBY HAS 38.2-POINT GAME WITH UNDER 2 MINS TO GO. pic.twitter.com/vPk0edVXph
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2026
Edwards hit 19 of his 33 shots from the floor, including 9-of-16 on 3-pointers. He also made 8-of-10 free throws in the game. The T-wolves star missed Friday's 110-105 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday, but played the second end of back-to-back games.
Saturday's matchup was the third time this season that the T-wolves have played the Spurs in the second game of a back-to-back on the schedule. Minnesota won the previous two meetings with Edwards scoring a combined 55 points. He matched that total in one game this time around.
De'Aaron Fox added 25 points and 12 assists for the Spurs, with Keldon Johnson contributing 20 points off the bench. With the win, the Spurs improve to 29-13, tied with the Denver Nuggets for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference standings. Both teams are 5.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels scored 23 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Julius Randle added 17 points with 10 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. The T-wolves have lost two games in a row and three of its past five. Saturday's defeat drops them to 27-16, but Minnesota maintains the fourth spot in the West, one game ahead of the Rockets.
Source: “AOL Sports”